Attack on Enemy Unknown
by jankmaster98
Summary: When aliens titanic and small begin to invade, pushing humanity to its brink, the world will assemble it's forces in a last ditch effort to end the extraterrestrial threat. Enter the XCOM project, and the men and women from across the globe who must give all to stop this invasion. Modern AU Crossover with XCOM Enemy Unknown, but knowledge of the game isn't need.
1. Prologue I Day of Infamy

_A/N _So in my craziest idea ever, after watching Attack on Titan I decided to try and combine it with the video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It's a really engrossing turn based tactical game in which you lead an organization trying to fight back against an alien invasion. If I wrote this well I'm hoping that no one needs to have played XCOM to get any of this, but we'll see.

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"_Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."_

_Arthur C. Clarke_

"_It wasn't anything anyone expected, aliens from outer space invading our planet. That was kid's stuff we watched and laughed at. Things we shot in video games or marveled at on the big screen. We never expected anything quite like this, anything of this magnitude. On December 7, 2016, humanity received it's grim notice that it was not alone in the universe."_

_Raleigh Becket, Commander of the 34th Infantry Battalion, Survivor of the Fall of New York_

December 7th, Day of Infamy

People wondered why no one saw this coming. In fact some said that perhaps the governments of the world knew all along, and were hiding the coming invasion for God knows what purposes. After all, didn't N.A.S.A. have telescopes that could see far into the reaches of space? Why couldn't they see this, warn people, and save lives? The truth was that no one could have foreseen this. There was no warning, no announcement, no declaration of war or intent. Simply, on December 7, in the middle of the afternoon, a large craft appeared right over the Empire State Building. No one on the ground knew what it was or what to think. Survivors from that day say all sorts of things about what happened next.

What is certain is this; all hell broke loose when that craft dropped it's complement and sped away to parts unknown.

According to most, first came the big guys, current classifications ranged the first invaders at about 3-7 meters. Codename; "Titans", these they arrived in droves and simply began to devour humans. Blood painted the streets of Time's Square before police arrived and opened fire. It was mayhem. The shots seemed to bounce off the usual target points, head, chest, even as heavier weapons such as high explosives and S.W.A.T. teams were brought in, it didn't seem to stop the monstrosities. It would be days, and an untold number of lives, before knowledge that their sole weak spot was the nape of the neck was revealed by a brave soldier by the name of Sterling Archer. As if the Titans weren't bad enough, accompanying them were the "sectoids". Little ugly imp-like things. They looked like the little green men from outer space, just like old 50s movies. Expect these ones were gray, and they were real, and they shot super-heated plasma guns at soldier and civilian alike.

It was as one survivor would call it, "living night and day in the Valley of the Shadow of Death." S.W.A.T., the National Guard, the Army, everyone sent into the "Danger Zone" as people began calling it, suffered massive casualties. The titans would lift around entire armored vehicles like it was nothing, and anyone who attempted to move on their flank was almost immediately placed under fire by the sectoids. The weapons they used were like nothing ever seen before, they ate away at flesh, kevlar, and steel alike with frightening accuracy. Eventually the situation grew bad enough, bombing the entire city was authorized. The planes and bombs filled the sky for the next few days after the green light was given. The light from the explosions lit the skies for miles around and left the world on edge as to what would happen next.

By the end of it, there was nothing left. The once proud skyscrapers that were made generation ago had become charred husks of their former selves. The corpses of titans and sectoids, and anyone else that would have been caught in the blast, filled the streets. Thousands mourned the fallen as men and women attempted to surge into the city to look for relatives and loved ones. The civilians were given several calls for evacuations, and the pictures from the first trucks moving across the Brooklyn Bridge have seen become iconic, yet still no one can truly know how many lives were lost because they never made it to the zones in time.

For about six months afterwards, people mourned, the world tried to move on. Then on June 7th, the International Space Station went out of contact, and not an hour later, Titans began appearing next to Big Ben. This time the attack seemed more methodical and thought out, prior to the attack, police stations, the upper echelons of British Military, and even simple crowds of tourists had been infiltrated. These new aliens came in human guise, not perfect under scrutiny, but sufficient enough to get lost in the crowd. At 9 o'clock in the local timezone, plasma shots were being fired in crowded city squares, and communication between the U.K. and the rest of the world ceased to be a reality. Again a ship came out of nowhere, and then pandemonium.

Response was slow, and the massive hordes of civilians ran every which way to try and avoid being either swallowed whole or shot by green energy. Military response was slow, and by that time the death toll was already somewhere past one hundred thousand. This time though, there was no order for a bomb, no order for a retreat. There was no turning back. Disorganized guerilla-like fighting broke out in the streets and squares as soldiers fought, Titans, Thin Men, and Sectoids from street corners to building tops. To gain optimum position for the defeat of the Titans, a old idea was dusted off for the most highly trained spec operatives. 3-D maneuvering gear, or "web shooters" to some of the more comic book inclined troops, had been devised in the early 1970s as a way to gain vantage points over enemy combatants.

The prototypes had been initially rejected as impractical and outlandish, seeing as how anyone using the gear could run the gambit of being shot mid leap. Yet the web shooters were dusted off as "Spidermen" and "Daredevils" rappelled onto the tops of buildings and through shattered windows to gain a firing angle. Even as green beams of death whizzed around them, some finding their mark and killing the soldiers, the first of the Rangers or "Web Slingers" still found the chance to line their sights, and pull the trigger. As a consequence of this gear, much of the soldier's heavy armor and gear had to be eschewed, but in the words of Steven Parker, one of the first to use the experimental gear.

"_There's nothing like being a Web Slinger, feel the wind, the ash, the cold rush of the day hit you like a thunderclap. You can see the city below you and your friends trying to make sure the xenos don't blast you out of the sky. So when you reach your perch and you see the giant bastards trying to take a bite out of your buddies, you know what to do, and you thank God for web shooters as you pull the trigger; and feel the Earth shake as giants fall at your hand."_

The Battle of London marked something to the xenos. Perhaps the aliens expected humanity to stand around and be destroyed. Perhaps they never expected we would try and endure, and that for every thing they tried to throw at us, we would keep fighting back. The Battle was fought to a standstill, as Web Slingers and conventional troops worked to fight Titans and Sectoids throughout the city. Groups of refugees were scanned and investigated as Thin Man paranoia shook up the governments of the world. While soldiers fought in the crowded streets and cramped and dark subway tunnels, a massive purge was attempted in defense networks and installations as infiltrators were found world wide.

This was the start of the Skirmishes. When these comparably small forces would try and invade cites to simply attack without purpose. Usually they would be thrown back by a combined arms force of Rangers and infantry.

Humanity got really good at it for a while. Winning, developing countermeasures to Thin Men infiltration, and killing Titans. Yet, things weren't as great as the public was lead to believe, casualties happened, and training men and women to use 3-D gear was a long and difficult process. Resources and old rivalries between nations still festered. All the while the people still tried to live their lives like things were still the same.

It would all change one day, it would all change on Bloody Sunday.

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A/N Well, what do you think? Good, bad, should I take this down in shame? Leave a review and if you're interesting in Beta-ing this story please PM me.


	2. Prologue II Bloody Sunday

San Francisco, 1200 Hours, Pacific Standard Time. March 30, 2018 Designation: Bloody Sunday

_"From what little I've seen of their technology... If the aliens were intent on capturing Earth, there's not much we could do to stop them. I'm guessing they have something else in mind. "_

_Dr. James Shen, Chief of Researcher and Engineering at Maria Rose University _

It was sunny that day. It was sunny pretty much everywhere else around the world as well, people have recalled. All the better for seeing the fleet. By this time people had almost begun to get used to the one or two saucers that might appear in the sky. The blair of the shelter alarms would send thousands to underground concrete bunkers in preparation for a raid. This time was different. This time there wasn't one ship in one city. This would be the beginning of a different era in the War for Earth. An Era of Extinction.

The first news that anyone got was when satellite surveillance had been lost to most of militaries of the world. In an instant, GPS went offline, vital satellite data uplinks disabled, and most of Australia lost its Facebook. Yet up in the sky came a threat people thought contained loomed large over the tallest skyscrapers. As around the world sirens blared, and people were rushed to shelters, nobody could think of what would happen next. Above almost every major city, above almost every capital of the world, not one, not two, but nearly a dozen saucers appeared with armies in tow. In an instant, Tokyo had Titans in every street and more Sectoids beyond counting. Infantry divisions in Dubai met with overwhelming numbers of Thin Men as their Rangers struggled desperately to gain ground amid the vast firefight.

It was the same story in city after city. In Moscow and Paris, in Beijing and Ottawa, and even in London, the place many held as symbol of humanity's will to resist, came under heavy fire. In the port of San Francisco Rangers filled the skies as the streets were full of firefights. Even as Rangers and infantry, tanks and helicopters, fought with the invaders, these battles of attrition were tipped in favor of the enemy. For all the strenght of the armies of the world, they simply weren't able to mobilize like the enemy, and in war, initiative and the ability to act is crucial in obtaining victory. At this point, airstrikes were both highly considered and even tanks and choppers, vulnerable to alien plasma weapons were being put into the field.

Perhaps part of the problem was the lack of serious study of the enemy. For years, corpses of Sectoids and Thin Men had been recovered from battlefields. In the case of the Titans they generally dissolved to nothing before teams could arrive at the battle sites. As for the weapons carried by the ground troops, they seemed to have been programed to respond to the life of the wielder. As when someone destroyed the alien the deadly plasma weapons would splinter into fragments of an unknown material. Serious study of the recovered corpses was a process that never got the ball rolling.

Between the countries arguing over the rights to, branches of those countries militaries debating on who was best qualified, demands from civilian organizations, and miles upon miles of Red Tape stopped R&D from taking place in earnest. Humankind would pay the price in paranoia and bodies.

On the ground in San Francisco, blood painted Jack London Square, and across Fisherman's Wharf the bodies of xenos and humans alike dyed the water red. The noise of the still ongoing was deafening in its intensity. Light machine guns roared above and below ground as soldiers fought a never ending stream of enemy reinforcements. In the skies above, Rangers armored with little more than combat vests, thought the situation desperate enough to take mid-air shots. Standard Ranger doctrine dictated to conserve ammo and be most effective the Ranger find a perch, but the Golden Gate Guardians eschewed that idea for incredibly dangerous and risky maneuvers that killed scores Titans at the cost of close of half of the unit.

They were good, some of the best, but many of them had fallen, and on the ground the situation remained grim. While many Titans were killed or engaged by the Rangers, there were still enough on the ground to cause the infantry to have to fall back from position to position. Perhaps the sentiment on the ground is best expressed by someone who was there. In particular, one member of Infantry Battalion 23, Jefferson Rudnick.

"_People always talk about how courageous, calm Web-Slingers have to be to go up into the air and brave the crossfire and giant monsters to fight the Titans, but I think people forget about the infantry a lot. I think it's a bit easier to be brave when you have the freedom of movement to get around the giants and the xenos. Because when you're staring at a Titan from the ground, and can see the horribly grotesque mockery of a human face, and stand your ground so the Rangers can get up behind them; then you're ready to face the jaws of hell, and worth a thousand Slingers. So the infantry fought, and retreated, but never did we rout, so let everyone know that. While the Slingers up on high darted around like flies, the infantry held the deck." _

After most of the GPS satellites were cut to shreds, infantry commanders in the Bay Area resorted to maps lifted from stores and cell phones dropped by panicked civilians to coordinate their defenses. Yet despite these efforts, many some cases the aliens succeeded in routing the response forces. The buildings in Washington D.C. were set ablaze as soldiers man down the length of the mall; with most of the troops falling back to nearby Arlington and the Pentagon, a building that was thrown into disarray at this turn of events. Across the Atlantic in Berlin, a web of chords lay still as Rangers lay dead mid flight, still strung on their gear, dead by plasma shot. It was a similar tragedy that played out in cities around the world. Shelters were broken into as the aliens large and small operated without mercy, giving no thought to anything but destruction.

Whilst the armies of the world bled across the globe, and struggled to hold on, what can only be described as one of the most crippling blows was dealt on that day. While the soldiers fought swarms, the lack of telemetry and early warning systems left open some of the world's most vulnerable resources: it's crops. As Jefferson Rudnick ordered his squad of seven into the breach and gunned down three Sectoids with his assault rifle; miles of farmland in the U.S. Midwest was turned to irradiated ash. The corn belt was turned into a barren wasteland In China's vast rice fields that fed a nation of over a billion there was fire and death. While in the wheat fields of countrysides of Europe, UFO sightings were no longer an urban legend, but a terrifying reality.

On that day millions lives were extinguished, around the world cities burned and the husks of tanks and helicopters lined the streets alongside corpses of aliens and soldiers alike. In the longer view of things, the worst news however, was the destruction of the crops. With those resources gone, feeding the masses was going to be a challenge that no one seemed ready to undertake. Add to that the countless industries affected by the loss of the byproducts made possible by the crops, and the governments of Earth were going to have a social, logistical, and economic crisis in addition to an alien invasion.

London, 1600 Hours, Greenwich Mean Time November 1, 2018 Designation: Birthday

It was at summit of the nations, held in London, the place where humanity made its stand, that the idea was put forward. It had been about six months since Bloody Sunday, and already there were riots as if it wasn't the food rationing putting people on edge it was the poverty and fear that would do it. And the attacks didn't stop. While there was nothing on the scale of the March 30th invasions, but the ranks of Ranger Corps around the world dwindled more and more, and the civilian body count rose higher and higher.

Panic echoed throughout the world. Millions of lives lost, cities destroyed, giant monsters and little grey men killing indiscriminately, and a massive food shortage, sent civilians into a frenzy. Many countries were considering enforcing martial law to keep order, but cooler heads reminded that trying to impose order like that would only create a breeding ground for even more chaos.

Ideas for dealing with the alien threat were thrown across the room in a torrent that each had It was a man named Luis Gonzalez from Spain, a nation hit hard during the Skirmishes and devastated during the Bloody Sunday attacks. It was his task to rally the support of the doubting nations. He was the figurehead of a movement that had several onboard already, but now was the time to get the others to fall behind the idea of unity. As the representative finished it was Luis' turn to speak up and hear translated into English is the words that would alter the course of history.

_Gentlemen, representatives from nations around the world, our planet is under attack. As race we are being threatened. These invaders draw no distinctions between nation, culture, or anything else that makes any one of us different from one another. They have to be stopped. We've tried stopping them on our own, as individual nations we've proven that we can hold our ground. At least for a time, but it's not enough, March proved that. _

_They aren't going to stop, just last month Barcelona faced an attack that was just barely repelled by our forces. So we have to fight back, but it isn't a task for any one nation alone. I propose this then, ladies and gentlemen, that in this time of crisis, the world not unite under the banner of any nation. But unite under the banner of the Earth itself, and of the stars and sun that give us dreams and life. The whole is worth more than the sum of it's parts, and Earth is no different._

_That is why today I move for the activation of the UN Initiative: Project XCOM. For immediate implementation, and support from the nations of the world. The eleventh hour is upon us, and now we must choose if we all hang together or all hang separately. So ladies and gentlemen, are we going to let the xenos pick us off one by one, or are we going to make a stand together and sent those bastards back to hell!_

A great cheer and standing ovation rose up like it was a football crowd as Luis finished his speech. Really his notes had not outline a speech so passionate, but more of a sales pitch of logic and statistics. Yet the emotional power of the speech and the desire to strike back against the invaders charged the summit in favor of the motion presented. Too long had these men and women see their homelands torn apart by the aliens. Whatever motives their governments had, the delegates and teams sent to the summit were inspired and charged. They walked up to Luis and shook his hand, promised to get their nation's support to activate the XCOM project.

It would take time to assemble it, to find leaders and technicians, to agree on funding and research, and to gather resources and arms. Yet, for the first time since the sharing of 3D Maneuver Gear, the nations of the world were ready to put aside old grudges and mistrust as the threat of total extinction galvanized a cause that would have never materialized in any other situation.

And so Humanity would endure, humanity would unite, and humanity would fight back.


	3. Act I Recruitment

A/N Not sure about the quality of this chapter, seeing as how it's a different style than the last two, this is when the characters really start to appear and the ball gets rolling. So bear with me!

Titan's Fall formerly New York City 1600 Hours EST January 1st 2019

In the former ruins of a laundromat a man stood looking over the devastation with a glass of whisky in his hand. Had it already been over two years? He'd known this city, this street, this building as something that was always present. Always going to be here, along with everyone inside it. It all changed on that day. It was when the games ended, nearly all joy became sour, and all the booze in the world couldn't change that. Steely blue eyes gazed over the ruins as what was once his world lay in destroyed slabs of metal and concrete.

"Do you remember how on New Year's everyone used to just get super drunk and watch that square, over there put a giant ball down a shaft?" The drunkard said to the man he knew he was going to met here as the figure came to the level from the staircase.

"Phrasing my old friend, phrasing." The man said as he stepped beside the drinker with the whisky glass now refilled from the large bottle sitting on the desk still intact after the attack.

The newcomer was tall and powerfully built. He was dressed in a military uniform, and the pips on his uniformed indicated his rank of marshal.

"Oh great it's you..."

"Does your daughter know you're here?" 

"No, she's with-" The man didn't get to finish that sentence as the alcohol in his system felt it was the best time to come bubbling up from his esophagus. The marshal simply stood by as his drunker than usual compatriot cleaned himself up with a small rag from his pocket.

"You know why I'm here." The Marshal said after a brief moment of silence.

"Well of course I know Martian-shal Manhunter. Get it? Like Martian Manhunter from DC Comics cause you're looking for me and fighting aliens...sigh* Oh God I need more of this stuff." He took another gulp of alcohol while the Marshal simply chuckled a bit at the faded brevity that once made the blue eyed man infamous.

"So yes or no then?"

"Isn't there anyone else you can ask? I mean, the world's coming to an end, in case you haven't seen any news flashes, it's aliens, so you need the best. You couldn't get like Burt Reynolds or something?"

"This isn't the time for jokes Agent Duchess!"

"Always hated that codename."

Carrying on despite interruption, the sober of the two men continued.

"Look, I don't know if you've heard the news, but the XCOM project been called together. It's got 16 member nations already."

"I got the file, and who did you get to sign up for your little club house? The city states of Europe? You got Monaco and Andorra behind you?"

"The United States and Russia, with China coming around to our point of view."

There was a moment of intense silence as the former spy took another drink from his glass before continuing.

"You're not shitting me?"

"Have you known me to joke around about things like this?" The Marshal asked slowly

"Touche."

"I have been given the command, and it's coming together, slowly but surely. But I need people! Intelligence officers, scientists, engineers, hell, we're even short on clerks and accountants! A base and equipment is no good unless I have men to use it."

"I can get you some I those, I think. I'll have to make a few calls."

"My thanks, but still the question is, are you willing to fly back into the danger zone? I need a head of intelligence, and as I recall, you're the best independant agent on the market. So the question remains, are you going to answer XCOM's call?"

The blue eyed man thought deeply for a moment, then smiled a real grin for the first time in months as he downed more of his drink and turned to face the other gentleman in the room.

"Mr. Stacker Pentecost, you should know that Sterling Archer was born ready."

U.S. Army Training Camp, Fort Benning Georgia, 1700 Hours EST January 2nd 2019

The low clouds of the late afternoon concealed the dying winter sun as it drifted slowly over the horizon towards the other side of the Earth. In the courtyard of the complex, cadets of the 501st Training Squad lined up for the last call they could have before their transfer to one of the "Walls" as soldiers called it. "Walls" was the colloquial term for the rings of military bases, temporary or otherwise that the military had set up to provide perimeter defenses and staging points so attacks on the major cities of the nation could be responded to with greater speed. Today was officially graduation time for 501st.

As the former recruits turned soldiers stood at parade for the final send off, many realised what was about to happen. They would be shipped off to one of Walls and from there made to fight the xenos. It was the size of battalion, 300 men and women from around the country, nearly all of them barely more than children. Of the 300 around 20 had passed and undergone training as a Ranger, earning their web shooters through grueling work, and training that seemed straight from hell. Although, with many joking that the enemy they were attempting to overcome being supernatural as well as extraterrestrial, perhaps this was necessary after all.

One of their instructors, Drill Sergeant Keith Shadis, looked over the assembled men and women with a mixture of pride and apprehension. Most of them were barely above 18, and despite their months of training and hard effort, he still did not feel confident about sending them off to war. Not the war he'd seen. Basic training was 9 weeks, and in that time Shadis did not know whether he had instilled and drilled into those soldiers all they needed before they would have to fight the most dangerous threat the planet had ever seen. He would know, he was in New York with the 34th during the Fall. There was nothing like the fear that could overtake a man as giants loomed over him that shrugged off the bullets he fired. Nothing like the pain and horror you could experience as your comrades had their flesh melted off right in front of your eyes.

As the bald man looked over the assembled troopers while Colonel What's-his-face gave a piss-poor speech about duty and honor, Shadis' eyes focused in on the front row, particularly on three cadets standing straighter than arrows.

Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert.

Those three were the top of their class, although for very different reasons. Mikasa had early on proven to be beyond any and all of the other trainees present, earning the admiration and envy of many. Armin Arlert excelled in tactics and strategy, and if times were different he would be headed to West Point or some other officer academy. Eren Yeager, Eren Yeager, he was something else entirely. He was a psychologist's field day, angry, emotional, with undoubtedly lingering trauma from his experience being in New York. In fact these three had all been in New York when it happened, and apparently they all made the same stupid decision to sign up for the army together.

Under normal circumstances he would probably not have been taken on under the army, but with so many dying it didn't seem like the government could turn down any volunteers. What also made him stand out, was his dedication and almost single minded drive towards his goal, becoming a Ranger. While his skill did not equal Mikasa's, he managed to surpass the others in the 501st by a considerable margin. The lad had a fire in his eyes sure as hell. In close combat there were few who could match his ferocity although such skills would hopefully never have to be employed. Eren Yeager, and those like him, earned upon his successful completion of the Ranger Program him the Wings of Freedom, the global symbol of those who had the necessary combination of skill and bravery with a dash in insanity necessary to operate 3D gear. The emblem was branded upon the back of his jump jacket, with a similar symbol etched on the back of Mikasa, Armin, and many other soldiers around the world.

What the three did not know was that instead of going to, where was it? Shadis forgot whether this troop was to protect Los Angeles or Norfolk. They would be sent to something far more experimental.

Just months ago, the government handed down through the ranks that the XCOM Project would be green-lit for activation. As such, the United States military most likely be expected to make a contribution to the initiative. Along with scientists, engineers, and equipment, the government agreed to give soldiers to the program, and as part of the agreement the top of this class would be volunteered to join the new project at it's base in the Rockies.

The U.S. military command argued that it could not spare it's best soldiers on the front lines for this project, and so the idea was made to send the top cadets towards this U.N. initiative. Some of the officers who were staunch supporters of the XCOM project were against the motion but it was determined eventually that the protection of the population centers was of the highest priority. Thus the veteran infantrymen and rangers would stay within the ranks and oversight of the U.S. military.

As Shadis raised his gaze he realized that the colonel had just broken the news that privates Mikasa Ackerman, Eren Yeager, and Armin Arlert were volunteered for service in the XCOM project. Among the soldiers there was no change in movement or posture, but Shadis could tell that in their heads gears were turning rapidly. Most people barely knew about the existence of the XCOM project, only that it was enacted as a last ditch attempt to win against the invaders.

As for those told to step forward and receive new orders, each had a different reaction. Ackerman remained impassive and steel gazed as always, the news that she was going to be a part of this new and experimental program not even garnering a batted eyelash. Arlert could not seem to stop trembling though he did his best to hide it as he received a think folder filled with information that was apparently classified enough that only the XCOM recruits were allowed access. And Eren Yeager simply took the folder he was handed to him, read over a few pages, and smiled in a grin that somehow gave the bald instructor chills.

As the three stepped onto one of those new Skyranger planes that could travel at hypersonic speeds, Shadis could only wonder what awaited them, and what, if anything, would come out of giving up their best recruits.

A/N You know what's funny, I looked on the wiki for AoT and found out that March 30th is Eren's Birthday. Must've been some party, although I'll get into the past experiences of Eren and the gang later, we've got a military organization to mobilize.

Oh and this is also kind of going to be a crossover between Pacific Rim and the FX show Archer. But don't worry those characters aren't going to be the focus, the focus will remain on the Attack on Titan characters. However, to get a handle on the character of Sterling Archer and Stacker Pentecost I highly recommend watching Archer and Pacific Rim in full.

Next Update might come a bit later, and seriously, I need a Beta, anyone willing or have a recommendation?


	4. Act I Arival

_A/N_ This came a bit later due to my other works and school being rough. Anyway, chapters will begin to come less frequently now as the plot gets moving.

As for a Beta, anyone wondering what that is, it's basically a person who reads over the document before it is published to proofread, give ideas, and in general help improve the story so that it is better than it was before.

If any are interested, please PM me. It works through the docx exchange program and any who are really interested I will help talk through the process. Anyway onto the story!

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"_I have no doubt in my mind that any attempt for the world uniting to defeat this foe will either be the greatest achievement, or greatest shitstorm in human history, most likely both." _

_General Dot Pixis of Australia's 31st Infantry Regiment._

_Airspace over the United States Rocky Mountains, 1900 hours EST 1800 hours Central Standard Time January 2nd 2019_

The ride was surprisingly smooth considering that they were flying at over the speed of sound in a craft about as elegant as a cardboard box. Armin excited he stated that he heard that these Skyrangers could push Mach 7 if they were pressed, but Eren doubted that was really the case. Armin had always been excited about facts and statistics, and would be quick to latch onto something that outlandish if it sounded possible. Still, Armin's mind and ability to gather and process information had won him honors both in school and in the army, so perhaps there was something to be said about knowing the top speed of their troop carrier.

To Eren it didn't matter, as long as this thing would get him to the places he could kill titans, he could have gotten inside a model-T. They'd taken his home, his mother, and were trying to take away the entire planet. He wouldn't let that happen. He wasn't the helpless kid who could only struggle as Officer Hannes dragged him and Mikasa away fromthe ruins of their Manhattan apartment. He wasn't the son who could only scream as he saw his mother consumed as Hannes practically tossed them into his police cruiser.

Eren remembered what it was like as though it had happened yesterday, as though the Day of Infamy was recent event rather than something that happened over a year ago.

_There was smoke everywhere and a putrid burning smell all throughout the city. The streets were full of people running and screaming as in the distance Eren thought he could hear gunshots. It didn't matter though! He wasn't going to leave his mother! As Eren shoved away shattered glass and broken brick, Mikasa worked equally frantically to try and save the women who took her in like she was her own. As the two desperately tried to lift Carla out, the familiar visage and uniform of police officer Hannes came into view. _

_"Hannes please! Get Eren and Mikasa out of here!" Carla Yeager begged while the city burned around them. "Please, for Grisha, if you were ever friends with him get his children out of here!"_

_"But what about you! We can't leave you!" Eren half-yelled, and half cried as he and Mikasa made another effort to lift _

_"There's nothing you can do! Just go!"_

_Eren was about to argue further when it appeared. A Titan standing about 7 meters was slowly and methodically walking up the street. It looked like someone had tried to make a horrid mockery of a human visage with its face. Upon it's head wide eyes and a Joker-like smile leered ominously at anyone unfortunate enough to be in its path. It just so happened that the Yeager family was in that path._

_Not knowing what to do, Hannes retrieved his pistol from his holster and opened fire. He emptied the entire clip of his handgun, scoring shots at the head and chest, but the shots seemed to do nothing to the beast who simply moved forward as if nothing had happened. Still Eren and Mikasa tried to move ruble in vain as the titan moved closer and closer. _

_In the end the choice was taken away from him. In a split-second Eren felt like the wind was knocked out of him as he felt strong arms grab him and tear him away from the site. Eren turned his head to see the blue cap of Officer Hannes who was carrying him away towards his patrol car. Often times Eren forgot exactly how strong the cop was, probably on account of his drunkenness, however the blood haired man was somehow able to lift both Eren and Mikasa into separate arms and spirit towards his idle car. _

_Time seemed to move slower than Eren ever though possible that day. The monster, with ease moved the rubble Eren and Mikasa had struggled so mightily against. Still alive his mother tried to struggle as the beast took her in it's hands. It gazed at her for a moment, it seemed, studying the creature in it's grasp. Then a quick movement of hand which caused blood to spurt in a thousand directions, and finally after a brutal death; the titan devoured it's prey._

_In the car the police dispatch on Hannes' car crackled to life with a thousand different calls, but the main call from HQ was apparently this. _

"_Be advised all units are advised to make their way to evacuation centers and clear the way for army and national guard units."_

_It was with utter silence and shock Eren and Mikasa sat in the backseat of the car; as Hannes started up the engine and drove through the streets like a madman trying to reach the evacuation site. Eren could see his old home getting smaller and smaller in the distance. Meanwhile, the titan still loomed and the teen could swear he saw the beast stare back at him with its wide smile the entire way as it grew smaller and smaller out the rear window._

_As he sat in the backseat of the car with his fists clenched tight enough his nails drew blood; Eren made a silent vow. An oath more like, a promise, and a threat. _

'_I will kill them all! By everything holy on God's good Earth I will find a way! I will kill the titans if it's the last thing I do!' I swear this! I Eren-_

"Eren!"

Eren was jolted out of his dreaming and reinserting by Mikasa, who looked at him with a worried expression.

"Eren? Is something wrong?"

"What? No! Stop babying me Mikasa! I'm fine."

"I just wanted to be sure. You looked like your mind was a thousand miles away."

"Well, we have us flown across the country Mikasa," Armin added in, earning a small chuckled from Eren,

"That's not the point-"

"I said I'm fine!" Eren yelled loudly, apparently enough to get the point across to Mikasa sho simply backed down.

"Well, we should be arriving at the base any moment now, you know how fast these things can be when they have to get somewhere?" Armin said, trying to divert the conversation elsewhere.

"Didn't you say-"

The whole craft shook for a moment, causing the .

"I think that mean's we're landing. This thing is a VTOL craft after all."

As if to confirm that statement, the intercom crackled to life as the pilot spoke loud and clear.

"Alright Rangers, welcome to XCOM headquarters. Population, you unlucky bastards!"

Eren scowled at the pilot's ireverant words but said nothing as the gangplank opened up to reveal that it wasn't an air base they landed in, but it seemed they were inside the mountain itself.

As Eren and his companions poked out of the aircraft he was met with the sight of a hanger carved from the mountain's granite and limestone. The ceiling seemed to stretch to the peak of the rock itself and must've also been from where this Skyranger and other aircraft entered and exited the base. From hangar bays scattered throughout the massive area Eren could see the sleek metal frames of the new twin-seater F-30 Raven interceptors, supposedly the fastest and most advanced fighter jet model in the world.

As Eren stepped off the gangplank along with his friends he was met with the imposing sight of Marshal Stacker Pentecost. A large and stern looking man with dark skin and black hair, and whose brown eyes seemed to bore down into Eren's very soul. Eren had read his file during the flight to the base. Apparently he was part of the British Army, specifically their Ranger Program, and was the commanding officer of their Web Slingers during London. His combat decorations were numerous, and when a man was suggested to be given the command of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit he was the obvious choice.

"Welcome to the XCOM troopers," Pentecost spoke as Eren couldn't help but still gaze around the hangar. "I'm sure you already know my name as I already know yours. Mr. Yeager, Mr. Arlert, Ms. Ackerman, your fellow recruits have already assembled in mission control and we await your presence to start. If you would follow me..."

Their commander thed them through the massive space towards a large set of steel blast doors. On a keypad to the right of the entrance the Marshal typed in a short security code while a security camera examined his retina. That that the heavy steel doors slid open and the recruits were ushered into XCOM Mission Control.

The room was massive, perhaps not as large as the hangar, but the open space and amount of men and women present perhaps made the space seem all the more imposing. Rows and rows of computers and technician filled the rooms multiple floors and there was a constant chatter that filled the air as data and images flew across a large hologram of the world. On the 3-D display of the world Eren could see the locations of military bases, the positions of troops, and relative stability of the XCOM member nations which was beginning to cover most of the world. Directly in front of the globe though, he could make out a small group of individuals. These were all the men that XCOM was assigned to work with. It was a group of about 64 soldiers, and none of them looked more than a few years older than Eren did.

Standing out among the crowd where some people whose faces he recognized from reading their files during the trip. Varied as much as the nations they supposedly represented, Eren could see that the majority of them were raw recruits as their uniforms contained few markings of having made it above the rank of private.

Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, heavy weapons specialists from Germany. Both were considered drilled, prepared, and dedicated infantrymen ready to fight the alien menace on the ground as others took to the skies. Braun was noted as being able to quickly rally his comrades in training exercises, and Hoover's expertise in high explosives, including bomb disposal made him a valuable asset inspite of his low confidence. They were some of the few with actual combat experience, apparently having fought for Munich and apart of the disaster there.

Jean Kirsten, first of his class Ranger, who earned his Wings of Freedom in the fastest record in the French Ranger Program. Alongside him was Marco Bott, stated not to be the most masterful fighter among his fellow recruits, but known to have an uncanny ability to inspire confidence and cooperation between others in his unit.

Annie Leonhart, British expert hand to hand combatant with a preference for sniper rifles as a weapon if her Sandhurst records were correct. Another one of the few who had seen combat with the aliens before; Annie apparently had originally been training as a Ranger but after her combat experience in the Attack on Dublin seemed to elect to stay on the ground.

Sasha Braus, Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot who regularly pulled off high intensity maneuvers that would black out most pilots. She was said to perform high-speed split-s turns and supersonic barrel rolls like others peeled out of formation. It would be skills like that that would be needed to fight the next waves of UFOs.

With the alien threat also present in the skies, and alien jamming technology making the old AIM 9 and AIM 7 missiles unreliable, combat in the skies now changed back again to dogfighting; as fighter jets and their pilots struggled to get enemy aircraft within range of their M61 Vulcan Gatling guns. While the weapon could not bring down a UFO, it could cause sufficient damage to cause the alien crafts to flee with their payload of death dealing aliens.

To keep up with Sasha and pilots like her the RCAF had recruited men like Connie Springer, Sasha's Radar Intercept Officer. In charge of airplane navigation, weapons systems, and electronic warfare in the second seat of their plane. As pilots were being pushed to their limits trying to damage and chase off enemy UFOs, the task of seeing those pilots safely home and safely through threats couldn't be done by men on the ground. Making the RIO's job all the more important, and men Connie as vital to the air war as pilots like Sasha.

These were only the most notable of the dozens of soldiers present, but each was the same in that they were all basically children. In better times they would be the last people considered for a program like this. Yet these were not better times, the world was under siege, and only barely had the governments of the world. As Eren looked over the assembled troopers, he couldn't help but really wonder at their chances for success, but now was not the time for doubts as Eren took a position standing in front of the hologlobe with Mikasa and Armin beside him.

On a raised position before the men and women Marshall Pentecost stood tall and dignified, like the warrior and soldier he was. He raised his hand for silence and attention and it seemed any side conversations stopped and all eyes turned to him.

"Soldiers, let me officially welcome you to the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or the XCOM Project, or Project XCOM, whatever name your superiors have given you.

"This program represents a combined effort of the nations of the world toward the end of the alien menace. It's success is not indicative of any country or government, but of the world as a whole. In it's ability to rally and unite, and its capacity to defeat those who would seek our destruction.

"In a few hours you will be given a more formal orientation by myself and some of the staff already present here. But for now, know this: You are part of this now, you are apart of the defense of the world, and perhaps the only hope for not just surviving this war, but winning it."

"So unpack your things in the barracks, let everything sink in for awhile, and be prepared back here in less than an hour. Dismissed!"

As if on cue the whole of the corps rose up and scrambled to the doors and service lift to reach the barracks some levels below the Earth. As Eren and his friends made their way to the lift, pushing past the crowd as they did so, Eren couldn't help but notice another man in a tailored grey suit and sharp blue eyes standing in the corner watching them all with an inquisitive gaze that may or may not have been inhibited by the alcohol in the man's hand. Eren was about to approach the stranger before the strong grip of Mikasa managed to pull him into the service lift as they descended into further into the depths of the mountain.

* * *

A/N For reference anyone who is interested in how the XCOM base looks should google image search XCOM headquarters for a general idea. But hopefully I've done a good job explaining it without visual aids.

Tell me what you think of me trying to introduce these Aot Characters and their respective roles. Others might come into the spotlight later. As always Read and Review!


	5. Act I Prelude

"_Adversity reveals the genius of a general; good fortune conceals it" _

_Horace Roman Poet_

XCOM Headquarters, Mount Elbert Colorado 1920 Hours, Mountain Standard Time

In the Situation Room in the upper levels of the base, Stacker Pentecost paced back and forth around the room like he was going to wear a hole in the thick steel flooring. The Situation Room was a large board room like space with a large table surrounded by leather chairs. On the far wall a large screen displaying the member countries of XCOM and their relative support of the project flickered. The display was called the "Panic Meter," by a few of the staff, and the screen was also used to initiate contact with the Council charged with overseeing the administrative and diplomatic mess of an international project of this size and scale.

The room was designed similarly to a private sports box. From this perch anyone in the office could look in upon mission control, the hologlobe, and the crowds of men and women on the computers. Currently the only two people in the room were one Sterling Archer and one Stacker Pentecost. As the Commander continued to pace around the the floor, Archer absently mindedly stirred the ice cubes in his glass full of whiskey before pouring out another bottle for the other gentleman in the room.

"You need some? Makes you feel better!" Archer said as the placed the glass in front of Pentecost.

"I don't drink on duty, and if I have my way neither will my men." The Marshal said

"You know that this place is stocked with a bar in the barack's rec room right?"

Archer referred to the large module specifically for the entertainment of the soldiers. Since the base was going to be the soldiers' home for the foreseeable future, and the possibility of furlough minimal, the engineers decided to add some amenities to the Rec in Module P-51 was the aforementioned bar, a large TV screen for movies and games, and even a pool table and dartboard among other things.

"Yet at the moment it currently has no drinks with which to serve, and I'd prefer it stay that way."

"Alright William H. Anderson I get your point, I'm not an idiot."

"No, you're a high functioning alcoholic that brought along _one_ account and _one_ scientist."

"Hey, I'll have you know the scientist is the best robotics and cybernetics guy on the planet, I've seen his work first hand. As for the accountant, despite his utter lack of any redeeming qualities as a person, he'll help keep this operation from going in the red."

Archer shuddered slightly at the older memories brought to the surface. In his past as a spy he'd learned the price of his friend's experimentations, and all too often those things he made turned against the agency he used to work for. Yet with the world at war what choice did they have? And to have to work with _him_ again, well that was just rubbing salt on the wound.

"Funding will be the least of our problems." Pentecost noted as he thought about the most pressing issue at present.

Currently Commander Stacker Pentecost had a platoon's worth of men and women at his disposal. To transport them in their squads of six he had four Mark VI Skyrangers, and to intercept UFOs he had seven F-30 Ravens. Not nearly enough. To top it all off the lab team and the engineering crew he was promised were even more measly than he expected. A total of 17 scientists of varying fields, from biology to astrophysics, and only 19 engineers. While engineering had it's head in the form of Archer's... associate from his old ISIS days, research had yet to receive their chief from Austria.

Yet in the commander's mind those problems were secondary to the biggest problem facing XCOM. They could have all the tech and teams they could want, but it was the soldiers that would make or break this organization. Most of his pool was made of rookies, out of their country's basic. They would have to earn their rank on the field against the most dangerous enemies in history.

"Yeah, I mean, you had the files beforehand, but to see firsthand that all the governments of the Project are willing to give you is basically kids; then yeah, it's kind of an issue." Archer reminded unsubtlety as he took another sip of whisky.

"They have training, and a few have combat experience-"

"The number of which can be counted on a hand."

"And they're still no substitute for veterans."

"How do you plan to fight off attacks like with that? I mean the x-rays have been quiet for the most part but-"

"Not exactly, Mr. Archer." The marshal said, Archer raised his eyebrows in surprise but said nothing as he waited for an explanation.

Stacker pushed a button on the desk and the screen that normally showed the world flickered for a second before showing a shocking image. It was a human body, covered in some sort of green slime, but the human underneath it was unmoving, and his face was still in a look of horror unmoving. It appeared that he was attacked with this substance and for whatever reason it was obviously nothing humane or in the interest of humankind.

"What the f-"

"The few labcoats here say that it's some sort of containment material designed to capture and render the target in a state of suspended animation. From what we can guess it's for capturing civilians in lightning raids for God knows what reasons."

"The stuff is released from one of these things." Stacker said, pushing another button and the screen flickered to reveal a green and grey pod-like construct.

The thing was about trashcan high, with green flickering lights coming from all sides. The pod was surrounded by people frozen in various states of panic, and all around them were similar pods and civilians. Archer gazed upon the situation with wide eyes and took another swig of his glass to be sure

"It's like the old stories Sterling. Alien abductions in our cities, and it's spreading panic almost as well as those massive city raids. Sectoids and Thin Men mostly, I suppose Titans are too large to do anything this surgical."

"Well, it seems we've got an undermanned base and a green group of grunts to fight covert alien operations."

"Basically." Stacker sighed as he continued to stared at the screen.

"We are gonna get more people on this thing right? If this is all they're giving you to fight the biggest threat to humanity then we're all going in the ground." Sterling said as he poured himself some more whiskey.

"The UN Council decided that we were to only be given provisional supplies to begin with. We'll have to apparently earn more support from member nations as we go." Stacker revealed while he stared out over the mission control room. The only room fully staffed.

"Well, that's some grade-A bullshit, but I suppose there ain't much we can do about it."

"Much but do the best we can with what we can."

"Still if-"

The conversation was interrupted by blaring on the intercom, and on the panic screen an alert for several countries shone bright red. Calls for action were being sounded by three nations simultaneously on three different continents. One alert said that there was alien activity in St. Petersburg, another said there were X-Rays in Shanghai, while finally the last said Buenos Aires had civilians being taken. There was no more time. With a quick shared nod Archer left the room, and Stacker moved to speak over the PA.

* * *

Private Armin Arlert was just about to try and find Eren when the alarm sounded. The young man froze for a moment and saw that a tide of men in the barracks was heading towards the exit. Armin forced his legs to follow them and out the blast doors towards the lift. There was so much noize surrounding him as the blair of the alarms paired with the incomprehensible chatter in dozens of languages. The blonde scanned the area for his friends Eren and Mikasa, but they were lost amidst the crowd of other soldiers.

So along with several names and faces he did not know, Arlert stepped onto the lift while he could hear the iron tones of Marshal Pentecost on the PA.

_All squads, report to mission control! This is not a drill! Alien activity has been detected in multiple Member Nations. Repeat, this is not a drill! Active squads standby for deployment! _

Crap, crap, crap! Already!? Now!? He wasn't ready for this yet! He had barely put down his things at his bunk before the alarm sounded! Just hours ago he was still in Fort Benning, but now with only the few months of basic along with the added Ranger training he was expected to fight!

'No, that shouldn't be surprising,' the more rational part of his mind said, 'What did you think you would be doing when you decided to join Eren and Mikasa?'

_That I didn't want to be left alone. _Said a more malicious voice in his head as the lift stopped at mission control. While before the hologlobe was a sky blue, now it flashed red as orange dots pinpointed alien activity in major cities around the world. Everyone seemed on edge and Armin once again looked for his friends in the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye he could seen Eren standing arrow straight with Mikasa right next to him. Of course she would be right alongside him aways. Armin tried to make his way over to them, but found the path to them was blocked by an incoming group just stepping off the lift.

The feeling in the mission control room was tense, as Armin could tell the entire room seemed to be holding it's collective breath. On a raised dais now Armin could spot their commander still standing tall and proud as he gazed upon his soldiers. His gaze was like steel and ice and Armin felt like the Marshal was staring right at him and into his soul, but the words the commander spoke was to the group as a whole.

"XCOM operatives, it appears the xenos are already moving. There's no time for orientations or speeches so prepare yourselves for combat. There is nothing I can truly say that will prepare you for what's to come."

"What I will say is this: Fireteams Zeta and Hardac prepare for imminent deployment! Head to armory for your body armor and weapons then report to the hanger immediately!"

As soon as he finished about 16 men and women scrambled out of mission control and towards the armory. Among them, Eren and Mikasa. The two already had their jump jackets strapped on and were probably just going into the armory for their web shooters and guns. Armin stood among a crowd of total strangers with most from different parts of the world. As the rest of the room stood waiting for what was going to happen next, Armin could feel his heart leaping into his throat as he trembled. He was supposed to have been prepared by basic training for combat situations, but all Armin felt was anxiety and apprehension when he hadn't even left base.

Maybe his fireteam wouldn't be called, after all-

"Fireteam Bravo, you will be standing by for my order. As soon as Zeta and Hardac are off in the Skyrangers you will report to the armory and get ready for launch!"

Shit.

He was Bravo. During the flight he managed to skim his thick packet and found that he was on a fireteam of four along with three other's he'd never seen or heard of in his life. Apparently he was the support rifleman, someone named Leonhart was their sniper, one Private Hoover was their heavy fire suppression and ordinance, and a woman from Iceland the name of Ymir Atensen was their assault specialist. As the rumble of skyrangers could be heard Armin knew now as the time to rush towards the armory doors.

The large sliding blast doors parted along with a pained on XCOM logo to reveal their armory full of everything from assault rifles to rocket launchers. Armin hurried to the grab his 3-D Gear first, putting it on with practiced speed and efficiency drilled into him at Fort Benning. Hearing only the clamp of his boots on the perforated steel plating as he rushed towards the stands full of assault rifles, Armin picked out one of the new F86 Sabre Anti-Personnel Assault Rifles, and checked it's heatsink to find the gun was ready for action. In keeping with his role as tactical support, Armin found for his holster three smoke grenades and one of the new universal medkits.

With all those items secured Armin then moved to the stands full of the new body armor commissioned for XCOM field operations. While as a Ranger Armin's armor would be minimal compared to his comrades, the blonde soldier looked to find that there was something for Rangers like himself. The armor was built thin and conservative compared to the bulk of the body armor of heavy or assault class, it wouldn't be hard to mistake it for a body suit if not for the plating that was present on the chest and elbow and knee joints. The thing was brown like the other armors, and when Armin managed to put it over his jump jacket, the XCOM insignia was displayed proudly on the front.

Then it really hit him. He was a part of this organization, the new line of defense against the alien invaders that had brought so much pain and destruction to their planet. A planet he always dreamed of exploring, but never got the chance. Growing up in the Hell's Kitchen part of New York wasn't really the best place to start planning trips around the world. Growing up with Eren and Mikasa in the rough streets, the most they really did for entertainment was go to the local boxing matches of Battlin Jack Murdock. Still Armin and Eren would always talk about one day leaving that out of luck neighborhood to go explore the world beyond the smoke and skyscrapers. That dream of freedom was thrown to the wind it seemed by the December 7th Attack.

Now as Armin boarded onto a Skyranger he saw behind him the other three members of his fireteam step onto the gangplank with their gear. Bertolt Hoover was adorned in the thick and bulky Kevlar armor of the Mark I XCOM Body Armor. While Annie Leonhart and Ymir Atonsen took a lighter armor build, better for mobility and maneuvering across a battlefield. While it was not as light as Ranger Armor, the Mark II XCOM armor was designed for a soldier on the go.

As far as armaments for his comrades, they came with the weapons their dossiers had said they favored. Leonhart came armed with the rather cumbersomely large Barsen 433 Sniper Rifle. The weapon stood almost as tall as the woman, and Armin might have grinned a little at the sight but the soldier looked absolutely grim and terrifying so his face remained blank as he strapped himself into his chair. As Private Atenson set down into her seat next to Leonhart's she put down her Yulgon 14 shotgun, a weapon that had been in reliable use since London and looked to have a long career yet. Meanwhile Hoover took a little bit extra time to bring his two primary weapons to bear. The Gipsy 33 Light Machine Gun had been the gun of choice for many infantrymen around the world as it possessed the heavy stopping power to give even a Titan pause. And for taking out those X-Rays fortified and entrenched, men like Bertolt Hoover relied on the heavy payload of explosives the Tadashi 51 Rocket Launcher could deliver.

The tall German soldier sat down and strapped into the seat next to Armin with an unreadable look on his face. The fireteam was silent as the gangplank closed up and Armin could feel the craft move as it exited the mountain base by going upward. Just as soon they stopped moving upwards, Armin and his comrades were thrown back towards their seats as the powerful engines of the Skyranger pushed themselves to the limit for a international flight at hypersonic speed. A voice crackled on the radio, and Armin turned his head to listen as the voice of Commander Pentecost echoed in the chamber.

"Listen up Strike 3, Voodoo 7 is going to be putting you down in Shanghai for this mission. Your operational objectives are to clear the site of all alien activity, weapons free, collateral damage is not a concern as civilians not captured have already cleared out of the area. Private First Class Bertolt Hoover is your C.O. for this mission. Good Luck."

As the voice fizzled out, there was silence again, aside from the loud roar of the engines. Their ETA to Shanghai was a little under two hours, and Armin could only try and steel his nerves for what was about to come. This was going to be it, he was going into a real combat situation with a very real chance of not making it back home. Here he was alone to, always it had been the three of them, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. From Hell's Kitchen, to Fort Benning, to XCOM, they had been there as a team. Admittedly Armin also was scared because they wouldn't be around to protect him, even as a kid he was picked on, and Eren and Mikasa had to come to his rescue. That wasn't the case anyone, they were off probably being heroes while he trembled before they even got there.

As an hour of silence and weapon checks and double checks went by, the quiet was broken by the current leader of Fireteam Bravo. Possibly sensing his discomfort, Bertolt turned his head to talk to the blonde from New York.

"Hey, deep breaths soldier. Nervous and scared troopers panic, and panic leads to mistakes. You make enough mistakes out there you don't come back."

"And sometimes you don't make any mistakes and you still end up in a Titan's belly or down the barrel of a plasma rifle." Ymir countered as she smiled without joy or mirth, "Face it, he's probably gonna end up on the business end of a sectoid's gun."

"That's nothing to joke about!" Bertolt exclaimed, most likely speaking from his memories of combat in Munich.

"How else the fuck am I supposed to deal with my own imminent death, genius?"

"Maybe not make a bad situation worse." Annie mumbled, speaking as she wiped down her rifle with a cloth.

"Hey, I'm fine! I'm good, I'll be fine." Armin tried to say, as much to himself as the others.

"Don't worry, we'll all make it out of here." Bertolt tried to reassure Armin as he could tell that the American's last statement was a lie, "No Titans detected, and I've seen the others die from bullets the same as anything else."

"Well, we can all try and hope we get out alive, but if you ask me this whole thing reeks of shit." Ymir put every so reverently.

Trying to ignore their Icelandic friend, Bertolt once again tried to reassure the most nervous member of his command.

"Just keep your wits about you, and think quick on your feet. Those things out there have no mercy, so you sometimes only get a few seconds to make count."

"O..Okay."

The rest of the ride passed in silence as the aircraft gradually slowed down once reaching Chinese airspace. The sturdy and powerful Skyranger touched down in Shanghai on January 3 2018 0100 hours MST, and Operation Fallen Star had officially begun as the gangplank opened up.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, but thank you to everyone who left a review in the last couple of chapters. Special thanks also goes to unblockabletree4 for being my Beta. Stay posted for Operation Fallen Star and remember to follow, favorite, and review!


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